COMMANDER TALOK OF THE TAL SHIAR
Skills and abilities: Fully trained and experienced science officer of the Romulan Imperial Star Navy. Cross trained in Warbird command, with focuses on tactical operations, asymmetric warfare tactics and strategic analysis. As a Romulan officer, is an experienced manipulator and cunning combat strategist Physical attributes and capabilities: Possesses the general physical capabilities of an average Romulan male who engages in regular physical exercise; comparable to the Vulcan standard. Psi potential: Latent telepathic potential due to distant Vulcan ancestry; never explored or developed due to Romulan cultural bias. Talok possesses a highly disciplined and ordered mind that may ward off some telepathic probes, or be difficult for a telepath to read. Cannot ward off empathic scans however. Resistant to the Vulcan mind meld. Personality: Arrogant, ambitious, honorable in the Romulan sense, cunning, loyal to himself and the Empire above all, cultured, noble, with a deep cruelty streak. Notably unsentimental. Dark and dry sense of humor. Will not hesitate to kill anyone that stands in the way of his ambitions, or the destiny of the Romulan Star Empire to conquer the galaxy. Willing to uplift and develop the talents of those below him that can be of use to his goals. Able to help his allies succeed so long as his goals are also served. Not above betrayal or abandonment of said allies once his needs are met, yet understands the need to keep alliances intact until they become a liability. Biography: Born on Romulus in the year 2217, well before the Romulan Star Empire ended its century of isolation from the major galactic community. As a young man he was taught of the great accomplishments of the Romulan Empire, that it was the greatest civilization in the universe and their destiny was to expand to all corners of the stars. The defeat of the Empire by the Humans being the rallying cry to "Never Forget Cheron." Raised to despise Humans for turning their distant Vulcan brothers against their kinsmen, his early military service in the Star Navy spent expanding the empire's borders in conquest of lesser species needing the guidance of the Romulan Empire. These conquests leading to a period of consolidation for the Empire as they prepared to engage the Humans again. Skirmishes with the Klingons were also common along the border shared by the two empires. Talok would distinguish himself well as both a combatant, and science officer dissecting captured Klingon technology. Talok would display a unique talent for quickly analyzing enemy tactics and technology. Talok's commanders would make note of his own unique and inventive battle tactics, and technical ingenuity as well. But it was in conflicts with Starfleet that he showed his true skill, often outwitting the Starfleet crews that he encountered through sheer guile, backing it up with some clever trick or trap. By 2276 he was assigned as the First Officer of the I.R.W. Shalyar, a secret prototype Bird-of-Prey testing various new weapons and technologies. Chief among these being the experimental Transwarp Singularity Space-Fold drive, which in theory would allow a Warbird to be almost anywhere in the quadrant within a brief period of time. Initial testing was beginning and by 2289, the system was approaching full operational status. All this would be cut short when a Na'Kuhl raiding party, from the 29th Century, would be sent to destroy the Warbird and prevent the Romulan Empire from achieving transwarp so early. A desperate struggle ensued, the Na'Kuhl boarding the ship via shuttle-craft, and like the rest of the crew Talok picked up a weapon and defended his ship, his Commander, and his Empire. Although the Romulan crew would repel and slaughter the enemy borders, the ship was in bad shape, and enemy ships still delivering heavy fire. As a result of the battle the Warbird and her attackers were thrown forward into the 25th Century, and was rescued by the USS Chiron and R.R.W. Vrax. Upon being notified of the current state of the Romulan people Commander Dreilok, Talok's commanding officer, elected to join the alliance and accept membership in the Romulan Republic, disavowing the Empire and accepting the Federation and Klingon Empire as allies. Talok vehemently objected, voicing his feelings to his superior whom he respected and considered a friend. When Dreilok made his decision final, and asserted himself to his X.O., Talok dutifully obeyed as was proper, but had already begun hatching a plan to flee to the Empire. His duty to the Empire and his loyalty to his Commander in conflict, he went to the shuttle bay where the Na'Kuhl had boarded the ship. Dismissing or incapacitating the Romulan guards, Talok gathered up as much of the alien's equipment from the fallen enemies, hijacked the captured Na'Kuhl boarding shuttle and with even a few enemy dead still on the shuttle blew open the shuttle bay doors with its weapons and made a desperate escape. Hiding out with his captured technology, he made way for Star Empire controlled space, studying and dissecting the alien technology and learning its workings. His study of the alien database also brought him up to speed with current events, and the state of the Empire and its potential future in the timeline the Na'kuhl had come from. Talok would use his captured technology as leverage to secure a commission, and prominent position in the Tal Shiar, his cunning, intellect, 23rd century codes of honor and Mnhei'sahe, and general ruthlessness quickly eliminating most competition, securing a Warbird command, and the loyalty of his crew. From there he would go about plotting to secure the loyalties of much of the Tal Shiar and Imperial Navy Commanders under the noses of the Star Empire's leaders.